The Creeping Fog
by Rochelle Adams
Summary: Nancy, Frank, and Joe just won a stay at LeRue Plantation in the quaint town of Shoalwood in S. Carolina. But this isn't your average trip of course!. The town's shrouded in the mists of its past. Will its riddle be revealed in the creeping fog?
1. Chapter 1

**Rochelle and Marie note: Yay! Our first Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys fan fiction! We're so happy! Okay, well this town in this story is totally fictional, just letting you know. So don't ever try to visit Shoalwood because…yeah…it's not real. Also the Colonel in the story is fictional along with most of the events mentioned so don't try to look it up on Google. It isn't there…trust us.**

**Copyright © 2005. Rochelle Adams and Marie Carlson. All rights reserved.**

**Disclaimer: We do not own Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, or any other things mentioned that we can't think of at this precise moment. We do, however, own Shoalwood (cuz it's not real! Haha!) and the plot and the OTHER characters (excluding the ones mentioned above) and…yeah…you get the picture. Enjoy!**

**P.S. PLEASE REVIEW!**

The Creeping Fog

Dear Ned,

Guess what! Frank, Joe, and I just won a free trip to visit the quaint little town of Shoalwood, located on the coast of South Carolina. Very few people have heard of it. However, those who have know the stories that revolve around its history.

It seems that during the Civil War, Colonel Gerard LeRue had a secret base in their old lighthouse on Shoalwood Cove where they made Confederate money! After the war the lighthouse was closed and no one has seen the Confederate money since. Spookily enough, they say that the ghost of Gerard LeRue and his men still haunt the lighthouse and his old home, LeRue Plantation which is now a bed and breakfast where we are staying.

Upon our arrival, however, we found out that the lighthouse is going to be torn down! The owner of LeRue Plantation, Molli Ackerman, is upset because she believes it is a historical landmark from the War and goes along with the LeRue Plantation.

Molli's niece, Annabelle Harris, is staying here for the summer. She's 17 and is very good friends with the cook at the plantation, Odessa Price, a comical woman who is quite the character.

This will hopefully be a relaxing vacation but I, for some reason, have a creepy feeling about the place. It's as if we're not alone…

Talk to you soon,

Nancy

P.S. I'm glad we decided to just be friends!



_Looking for Nancy Drew and Frank and Joe Hardy_

Nancy, upon seeing the rather obvious sign held by a short brunette, figured that it was most likely meant for them.

"Come on, guys!" she called to her companions who were struggling under the weight of the many bags. She rushed up to the woman, smiling.

"Are ya'll Nancy, Frank, and Joe?" the woman asked, her thick Southern accent obvious.

Nancy shook her hand warmly, telling her yes, and then smacked the boys when they sniggered at the woman's accent. Joe grimaced at her harsh treatment of him (he had been closer to her at the time so there was more force…).

"Oh, I'm so glad to see ya'll! Ya'll can just call me Aunt Molli, alright?" She smiled and then said, "Well, then, why don't we pile into my car?"

Joe smirked and mumbled, "They have cars out here?" which was received by Nancy whacking him again.

"Ow! You hit me!" he exclaimed, hurt again. What was with the abuse?

Nancy rolled her eyes and hurried after Aunt Molli, anxious to see the Plantation and do some exploring.

Frank chuckled and patted his brother on the back. "She must like you, bro."

Joe brightened. "Really?" Then he frowned. "Wait, not that I want her to…"

As the old beat up mini van pulled up the dirt road the house came into view, making the passengers gasp. Standing dignified among the large live oak trees was LeRue Plantation, a Southern mansion with over 20 rooms, most of which were reserved for a good part of the year.

Nancy continued to stare at it in awe as Frank and Joe continued their previous conversation.

"Oh, come on Frank! Stop hounding on me! I'll bet that once you're down here for a few hours you'll have already found some Southern belle to fall in love with!"

Joe's older brother just laughed at his antics. "Yeah right, Joe!"

They stopped in front of a group of smaller houses, which Nancy guessed were once the slave quarters.

"These cabins here were where the servants and slaves stayed when the Plantation was still runnin'," said Molli.

"Joe, that's where you'll be staying," said Frank, motioning toward the smallest one.

"Hey!"

The group entered through the front door, their footsteps immediately muffled on the plush carpeting. Molli showed them their rooms and let them get settled before dinner, which was supposed to be the big traditional five course meal served in the main dining room.

Nancy's room was the ground floor, with a back door opening up into the courtyard. It was decorated with yellow Jessamine flowers, the state flower of South Carolina. Her four poster bed looked old and Molli commented that it was one of the few that were original with house and intact enough to still use.

Delighted to have his room right above Nancy's, Joe was on the second floor with a small balcony that gave him a good view of the grounds. I can't say he was too happy that the décor was purple lilacs but he couldn't complain about the fluffy couch that was included in the room.

The group decided to meet at the entrance for the last tour before dinner. Joe immediately started to pester Frank about his location.

"Hey, Frank! I have a balcony! How 'bout that? Where are you? The stables?"

"Actually, I have the bedroom that used to be occupied by Colonel Gerard LeRue himself." Frank watched his younger brother's reaction with amusement.

Joe grumbled and said indignantly, "I'm ignoring you now, brother…I mean…_ex_ brother!" He went to stand next to Nancy, ignoring his two companions' laughter.

Nancy explained to the two boys that their tour guide was Aunt Molli's niece, 17 year old Annabelle Harris. The blonde amateur sleuth was also excited that the tours were apparently conducted with the guide in authentic Southern garb.

Joe suddenly grinned and said, "Hey, Frank, I told you that you'd find someone to fall in love with! Here's your chance!"

Frank sighed. "Yeah ri…" He broke off, his eyes widening at the sight before them.

The woman that glided down the main staircase to meet them looked like she had just stepped out of an old Southern portrait, dressed in a large skirt, her auburn curls piled on her head. She smiled pleasantly at them and came directly to Nancy, obviously knowing who she was.

"Nancy Drew! It's so nice to meet you! Aunt Molli told me you were comin'. She was real excited to have a real life _female_ detective in her house. Your fame and reputation precede you."

She then turned to the Hardy Boys, shaking each of their hands. Joe smiled and quickly glanced at his brother, obviously pleased his predictions had been correct- Frank was so obviously blushing.

"That's a lovely shade of red you're turning," he whispered to Frank, trying to embarrass him further.

Frank replied by…not replying and following after Annabelle in a sort of daze.

Joe started to follow but then he noticed that Nancy wasn't traipsing behind him. He turned around, puzzled, and saw that she was transfixed by a portrait of a man, a slightly suspicious look on her face.

"Nancy, are you okay?" he asked, concerned. He glanced at the picture. 'What is it?"

Nancy tore her gaze from the picture to look at Joe's worried face. She smiled uneasily, said, "Nothing," and pulled him to catch up with the tour group.

**Note: Yay! This is cool! Why does Nancy feel like she's not alone in the LeRue Plantation? What startled her so much in the picture? Is there any hope Frank will come back from the land of love? Wait for the next chapter and you'll find out!**

**P.S. This is the part where you review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Marie: Here's the next chapter. Thank you, Nancy Nickerson for that review. Sorry to disappoint but Nancy and Ned are just friends. And yeah so much for level-headed Frank. He's now head-over-heels-in-love Frank. Lol. Enjoy!**

"This house dates back to some time before the Civil War. Colonel Gerard LeRue immigrated to America from –you guessed it- France, with his family when he was a small boy. His father was wealthy and they started a plantation here. Gerard inherited it and then continued to run the plantation but also attended military school and was very well known for his part in the Civil War on the Confederate side."

The group of visitors to the plantation (a grand total of five people for the evening's last tour) listened intently to Annabelle's narrative of the mansion's history.

Nancy in particular was wondering about the rumors she'd heard of the vanished Confederate money. "Is it true that there was once an operation in the Lighthouse where they made Confederate coins?" she asked.

Annabelle grinned, apparently used to having this question asked of her. "That was what the colonel is most famous for. He used that as a base and also a place where they stashed money for the Rebels. After the outcome of the war the lighthouse was shut down and it has remained empty for many years now."

Joe piped up. "What ever happened to the money? Surely they didn't spend all of it!"

Her green eyes twinkled mischievously as she got to the best part of the story of Gerard LeRue. "Supposedly a large sum of it had been promised to the Colonel. Unfortunately the Colonel's ending is a rather tragic one. He was carrying the money with him on his way home while the war was still going on and he was robbed by some desperate Confederate deserters who knew about the operation. He was murdered and the money was taken. Of course the money was useless once the war was over but the men weren't aware of this fact when they took it. His plantation was abandoned after the war and has only recently been restored to its original glory."

Nancy chewed on the story. What happened to that money? Where did the thieves stash it?

"What about the ghosts?" asked another tourist. He was a rather fat man with a balding head and a camera ready.

Miss Harris got a little nervous with this question. She lowered her voice and said, "It is said that Colonel LeRue and his men now haunt this house and the lighthouse and there are many reports of seeing them wandering aimlessly between the two locations. Some say LeRue is looking for his stolen money, wanting to avenge his death on the ones who killed him. No one has found the money but it is believed to be somewhere in the area since there are reports that many deserters lived on the abandoned property towards the end of the war."

"Ooh, ghosts!" laughed Joe. He nudged Frank and said, "Better be on your guard when you go to sleep tonight. LeRue might want his bedroom back."

It was obviously futile to try to make conversation with the young man, however. He was smitten and there was no hope of bringing him back. Joe waved his hand in front of his brother's face but it was no use. He was gone as long as that girl was in the room.

After the rest of the tour the group went up to their rooms to get ready for dinner. It was supposed to be a semi-formal event so they were to get a little gussied up. Nancy put on a nice skirt and blouse that she looked stunning in, a very classy look, just like her. The boys even cleaned up nice.

Joe whistled when he saw Nancy. "Pretty as a picture," he said as he grinned.

Nancy just laughed and entered the dining room. Frank had since awoken from his little day dream about Annabelle and was almost back to his old self. Almost.

The older brother turned to his younger sibling and said, "You know, Joe, I don't think you're being obvious enough. Try harder." He patted him on the back and entered the room also, chuckling all the way.

With antique looking wall paper, crown molding, silver candlesticks, an impressive mantle and a massive oak table the main dining room of LeRue Plantation was a sight to behold. Able to seat a large group of people it was obviously the highlight of a visitor's experiences at the plantation.

When the three companions entered, the room was already abuzz with talk of what they were going to visit while in Shoalwood and of the mysterious history of the bed and breakfast they were already staying in. The woman sitting next to Nancy was very animated and wished to hear her side of the ghost rumors.

"I heard that the ghosts don't like it when someone stays in their room and the people in them are the ones that are most likely to see a spirit."

Nancy couldn't help but laugh at it. The woman seemed convinced that ghosts were real. "Well, I'm not so sure there really are ghosts at this place, or any place for that matter, but I'll keep my eye out."

The man sitting across from her widened his eyes and said, "Oh, but they do exist! That's why I came out here- to do some ghost hunting. I'm writing a book on the east coast's most haunted houses."

Now Joe laughed from where he was seated next to Nancy (of course!) and said sarcastically to the man across from her, "Oh that sounds like a best seller!"

Nancy elbowed him and said pleasantly, "I'll be sure to look for it when it comes out."

This satisfied the man and he turned back to his roast beef. Frank was talking to the man beside him about the rooms they were staying in. Apparently the man's room was on the same floor as Frank and both had been inhabited by an owner, Frank's by Gerard LeRue, and the other man's by Colonel LeRue's father, Aleron. Both men were wondering if they would be seeing anything during their stay.

"I personally don't believe in ghosts," said the young man, named Walter Alberda. He was a thin young man and looked a bit sickly, his glasses large compared to his long face and thin nose.

Frank agreed but admitted that the stories intrigued him. The two continued in their conversation, along with everyone else at the table, and dinner went well. The courses were delicious and the three were so full they passed on dessert and decided to maybe get that a little later in the evening.

Nancy and Joe decided they wanted to explore the grounds but Frank declined, stating that he wanted to hang around the main house. His two friends nodded at each other knowingly. Annabelle.

The older of the two brothers watched them head off in the direction of the gardens and then went in search of the young auburn-haired beauty he had met earlier that day. Of course it wasn't really like him to be so smitten but hey, Joe was right. Frank needed to enjoy his vacation after all.

It took him a while as the house was rather large and it was no easy task finding one particular person in such an immense place. He was about to give up hope and go in search of Nancy and Joe but then he saw a door he hadn't been through or knocked on yet so he went in…and ran smack dab into the cook and her tray of muffins.

"What're ya doin' in here, chile?" the large black woman asked of the very surprised young man, dusting crumbs off herself angrily.

He could only blink and look at her and then his surroundings. Pots, pans, ladles…he was in the kitchen and the cook was almost as surprised to see him as he was of her.

"Uh," he said intelligently.

"Young man, ya're supposed to be out lookin' at the grounds, not in ma kitchen!" She put her hands on her hips, obviously waiting for an explanation from Frank who was apparently not allowed to be back in the kitchen.

"Um, I'm Frank and I'm looking for…"

"I don't care who ya are and I don't care who ya're lookin' for! I wanna know what ya're doin' in ma kitchen, runnin' into people who have places to go and chores to do."

Despite his athletic build Frank was pretty sure this woman could crush him with her big toe and not care a whim about it. Those angry dark eyes weren't lying, even if he had run into her and her muffin tray on accident.

Just when he thought he was done for he heard a familiar voice behind him. "Odessa, what put you in such a foul mood today?"

The cook's eyes softened when she saw who the voice belonged to. "Miz Harris, how come you didn't come to see ole Odessa earlier this mornin'? I missed ya."

Annabelle laughed and said, "I was doing a tour that Aunt Molli couldn't make it to. But you still didn't answer my question. What are you yelling at poor Frank Hardy for?"

The black woman resumed her angry voice. "He came in here and near bowled me over and ruined a whole batch of ma famous blueberry muffins!"

Frank scratched his head nervously, wondering how he was going to weasel out of the situation and also curious as to how Annabelle Harris had learned his name when he had been struck dumb earlier that afternoon.

"Odessa, why don't you go clean the dining room and Frank and I'll make you another batch of muffins? You've been teaching me how to make blueberry muffins since I started visiting this place so it's not like I don't know how to make them."

The woman considered this and finally a smile spread over her features. "Alright, ya got a deal." But then she shook her finger at Frank and said, "Don't ya be messin' up ma kitchen, ya hear?"

"Yes, ma'am," he muttered. He breathed a sigh of relief when the woman bustled out of the kitchen and into the dining room, grumbling a little about ruined blueberry muffins.

Annabelle just grinned at Frank and said, "Ever made muffins before?"

**Note: Well that's the next chapter. It'll get better in the next chapter, don't worry. Right now we're just introducing you to the characters and the setting and stuff. Background is always good. Please review!**


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